Altar In My Mind

I sought a place where I could feel
my spirit grow, a place of the heart,
a sacred place where I might drink
from a cup of Grace and feel the
nourishment flow into the recesses
of my soul.

In the early morning hours of this
day, while walking along a wooded
path, I heard the sweet song of a
small, gray bird, not recognizable
by plumage or brilliant color, a
common bird with a glorious voice.

And when I stopped to listen, I was
bathed in the pure tones, so much
that I felt like sinking to my knees
in reverent acknowledgement. And
there I found my altar, not in the
song or the singer, but in my mind.

The rush of faith insight was overwhelming.
I do not have to search for an altar in a
place. No, I carry the altar with me
everywhere I go, the altar inherent in
my humanity, one that awaits only a
signal for it to rise to the surface of
my consciousness.

Now, as I walk the wooded path or the
streets of the city, I watch and listen for
keys that unlock the altar in my mind,
invitations to the Infinite. A smile, a
kind greeting, a man down on his luck,
the stunning beauty of architecture or
autumn leaves.

So many things in life suggest the Sacred.
So many things lead straight to my soul
where the altar waits.